Here are five things we’re pondering prior to the first of three visits by the Ducks (7 p.m. Rogers Arena, Sportsnet 360, TSN 1040).

Old friends, current allies

Former Canucks defenceman Kevin Bieksa was holding court in the hallway prior to Vancouver’s morning skate. One of the guys who came out to greet him was Alex Burrows.

Here’s betting that Burrows was one of the names getting prominent mention in Anaheim’s scouting report about Vancouver.

He’s in the midst of a resurgence with the Canucks, tied in part to him getting second-line minutes with Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi.

Burrows has played at least 15 minutes a night in his past six games. He reached that plateau just twice in his first 13 starts.

He has two goals and two assists in his past five games.

“I wasn’t quite sure where he’d fit in coming back,” coach Willie Desjardins said of Burrows, who was talked about as a possible buyout candidate after last year. “It was a little bit open to see where other guys played as well.

“I am excited that is how he’s doing. Alex does all the things you want a Canuck to do. When he does that, you want him to get rewarded.

“He’s a great, great teammate and now he’s playing great, so he gets to play more.”

Bo knows, according to Burrows

Horvat comes into the game with three goals and four assists in his last five games. He’s taken over the team scoring lead, with eight goals and eight assists. Daniel and Henrik Sedin both have 14 points.

Burrows commended Horvat and Baertschi for their hockey IQs and skill levels, but said, “I think think the biggest thing is their will to get better and their will to drive the bus.”

“We’re getting on the scoresheet right now but we can’t be satisfied,” Burrows added.

Forechecking, foreshadowing

Anaheim has a physical forward crew, led by that other former Canuck of note, Ryan Kesler. Vancouver is missing its top defensive pairing, Chris Tanev and Alex Edler to injuries.

This is another good test for that revamped Vancouver rearguard group.

“Use my feet, use my speed. If I’m stationary, obviously they’ll take advantage of that,” said Vancouver rearguard Troy Stecher, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound rookie who continues to be a revelation for the Canucks.

“Guys in this league are faster and stronger. I’ve had to adapt every game. Tonight’s no different.”

Desjardins said that the Vancouver defence turned in a strong game on Tuesday against a Minnesota Wild team “that’s tough to play against.”

“This will be another test for them,” he said.

Keep streaking

Vancouver is 6-3-1 in their last 10. They’re also looking for their first three-game win streak since they won their first four games to kick off the campaign.

Anaheim has won their last two in a row, too, including a 2-1 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

“We’ve been playing some good hockey,” said Luca Sbisa. “We’ve been doing a lot of good things. We need to keep going.

“It’s going to be tough tonight, against a big, heavy team.”

Miller time again

Desjardins said that Ryan Miller will get the start in goal for a second straight game and fourth time in five games.

He made 38 saves in that 5-4 win over the Wild.

Miller is 4-7-1, with a 2.82 goals against average and a .912 save percentage against the Ducks all-time.

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